Thanksgiving Recipes: Side Dishes

What would a turkey be on Thanksgiving without its faithful side companions? Often more popular than the turkey itself, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and other favorites are staples of the food coma-inducing meal.

Try one of the recipes below to bring a new taste to your Thanksgiving feast. For more Thanksgiving dinner recipes, click here.

Roasted Winter Squash
Serves four.

Ingredients

• 1 small acorn or butternut squash
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Salt
• Cream (optional)
• Ripe pear, diced (optional)
• Dried cranberries (optional)

Directions

Gauge the amount of squash you’ll need by allowing one small squash (acorn and butternut are good choices) for every four people.

Cut each squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Brush sides and inner cavity with olive oil and place flesh-side down on a lightly-oiled baking sheet.

Roast for approximately 45 minutes or until flesh is very soft and easy pulls away from the skin. After removing squash from oven, let cool for a bit, then scoop the cooked flesh out and transfer to a large bowl.

Using a potato masher, work squash into an almost-purée.

Season with olive oil or butter, salt and perhaps a little cream. You can even incorporate some diced ripe pear or dried cranberries (or both). Leftover squash can be used in pies later.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 3 lbs red potatoes, sliced
• 1 lb broccoli, chopped
• 1 10.75 oz can cream of chicken
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ lb ham, sliced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp basil
• ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
• ½ cup Asiago, grated
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• ¼ cup butter, melted

Blanch the broccoli for about two minutes. Set aside.

Place the potatoes into a pot of salted boiling water. Cook until they are about ¾ cooked. Stack them into a baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream of chicken, sour cream, ham, broccoli, paprika, black pepper, kosher salt, garlic powder, and basil. Stir until fully combined.

Spread the cream of chicken mixture over the potatoes. Cover the casserole with the cheeses. Spread the bread crumbs over the cheese and evenly pour butter on top of that.

Place the dish into the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Green Beans

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds market green beans, trimmed
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound Brandt Beef bacon, chopped
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup Hopkins AG almonds, chopped and toasted (you can buy them already roasted)
• Juice of half a lemon
• Pepper

Directions

Toss the green beans in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook until bright green and tender crisp, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, shock the green beans in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the beans and pat dry.

In a heavy pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain off the excess bacon grease, leaving about two tablespoons in the pan. Add the shallots to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in pepper flakes and sauté for about 1 minute more. Add the green beans and almonds and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Place the cooked bacon back in the pan with the green beans and squeeze lemon juice over the beans. Toss and season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola

Serves 8

2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

3 T olive oil

salt and pepper

4 T unsalted butter

1/4 cup shallots, minced

1 cup heavy cream

2 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted briefly in a dry frying pan, then chopped

zest of 1/2 a lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a large, rimmed baking sheet, toss the Brussels sprouts with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 10 minutes, stir, and roast for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and test with a toothpick. They should be tender, but still a bit firm and not mushy. Depending upon the size of the sprouts, roast an additional 5 minutes. Set aside.

While the Brussels sprouts are roasting, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and stir constantly until the butter turns a light brown color and the shallots soften. Stir in the cream, bring to a slow boil and stir in the cheese. Keep stirring until the entire mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the hazelnuts. Pour over the cooked sprouts and toss well. 

Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the lemon zest.

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